Rayna James (Connie Britton) is the established "Queen of Country" music. However, her latest album is not selling well and her tour is playing to half empty venues. Her record label suggests that she open for Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), the young and sexy best selling singer of bubble gum country. However, Juliette, seeing Rayna as washed up, purposefully alienates her and Rayna, who dislikes Juliette's style of music, rejects a joint tour out of hand. The two women come into conflict as both try to get guitarist Deacon Claybborne (Charles Esten), Rayna's bandmate and former lover, to sign onto their tour. Rayna's life is further complicated when her estranged father, millionaire businessman Lamar Wyatt (Powers Boothe), convinces her husband, Teddy Conrad (Eric Close), to run for Mayor of Nashville.

Anybody else watching what's arguably the best new drama this year?

Well-written, heartfelt, INCREDIBLE music (most of which written by John Paul White of the Civil Wars and T. Bone Burnett); there's only three episodes aired, so more than enough time to catch up.

Rayna James (Connie Britton) is the established "Queen of Country" music. However, her latest album is not selling well and her tour is playing to half empty venues. Her record label suggests that she open for Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), the young and sexy best selling singer of bubble gum country. However, Juliette, seeing Rayna as washed up, purposefully alienates her and Rayna, who dislikes Juliette's style of music, rejects a joint tour out of hand. The two women come into conflict as both try to get guitarist Deacon Claybborne (Charles Esten), Rayna's bandmate and former lover, to sign onto their tour. Rayna's life is further complicated when her estranged father, millionaire businessman Lamar Wyatt (Powers Boothe), convinces her husband, Teddy Conrad (Eric Close), to run for Mayor of Nashville.

Anybody else watching what's arguably the best new drama this year?

Well-written, heartfelt, INCREDIBLE music (most of which written by John Paul White of the Civil Wars and T. Bone Burnett); there's only three episodes aired, so more than enough time to catch up.

Haha, I should have known that you would be the other ap.net guy watching this show.

I'm enjoying it a lot so far. When they let the music carry the proceedings, its something really special (the pilot balanced the music with the other narrative elements really beautifully). This week's episode only had one song and got a little too full-on soapy to compensate, but its still really enjoyable.

Are the soundtrack tunes available online? I knew T Bone was writing, didn't know John Paul White was, but it reminded me of his stuff right away, so that makes sense.

Haha, I should have known that you would be the other ap.net guy watching this show.

I'm enjoying it a lot so far. When they let the music carry the proceedings, its something really special (the pilot balanced the music with the other narrative elements really beautifully). This week's episode only had one song and got a little too full-on soapy to compensate, but its still really enjoyable.

Are the soundtrack tunes available online? I knew T Bone was writing, didn't know John Paul White was, but it reminded me of his stuff right away, so that makes sense.

I live in Nashville as well, and while I do know it's a drama I don't feel it's that off base, especially in the country world. Maybe not some of the more risque things such as Juliette sleeping with everyone on the show are as common place in the industry but a lot of the inner workings of the major labels still left in town seem to be fairly accurate. Either way, I think the writing for this is the best of the new shows this year and I'll watch anything with Connie Britton. It will forever be a crime that she never won the Emmy for Best Actress for Friday Night Lights but I would argue she has more talent than just about any other leading lady on network TV. And a lot of the Civil Wars-esque music on this show is really good. Good to see Joy Williams and John Paul White getting even more exposure.

You know how tv works, right? Everything is exaggerated and over the top. It's not a documentary.

I understand that. I just feel like they could have done a better job representing the way that people in Nashville actually interact with the city. I'm not looking for documentary level realism, but its not like Taylor Swift is hanging out at Tootsie's on the reg or Faith Hill is constantly chilling at Bluebird Cafe. You get the ocassional celebrity appearance at those places here and there, but its mostly just shitty songwriters. And the guy and girl duo that are obviously supposed to be the Civil Wars... Jesus.

My gripe is that its obvious the writers don't really understand that your average Nashvillian doesn't even like country, and your average country star is not hanging out in dive bars.